Lucas County, Ohio Explained

County:Lucas County
State:Ohio
Flag:Flag of Lucas County, Ohio.svg
Seal:Seal of Lucas County Ohio.svg
Founded Year:1835[1]
Founded Date:June 20
Seat Wl:Toledo
Largest City Wl:Toledo
Area Total Sq Mi:596
Area Land Sq Mi:341
Area Water Sq Mi:255
Area Percentage:43%
Census Yr:2020
Pop:431279
Pop Est As Of:2021
Population Est:429191
Density Sq Mi:auto
Time Zone:Eastern
Web:www.co.lucas.oh.us
Ex Image:Lucas County, Ohio Courthouse at night.jpg
Ex Image Cap:The Lucas County Courthouse in Toledo
District:9th

Lucas County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is bordered to the east by Lake Erie, and to the southeast by the Maumee River, which runs to the lake. As of the 2020 census, the population was 431,279.[2] Its county seat and largest city is Toledo, located at the mouth of the Maumee River on the lake.[3] The county was named for Robert Lucas, 12th governor of Ohio, in 1835 during his second term.[4] Its establishment provoked the Toledo War conflict with the Michigan Territory, which claimed some of its area. Lucas County is the central county of the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

On August 20, 1794, near the site of the present-day town of Maumee, American forces led by General Anthony Wayne won a decisive victory over allied Indian forces at the Battle of Fallen Timbers after years of conflict in what was known as the Northwest Indian War. The defeat of the Native forces resulted in the opening of the entire Northwest Territory for white settlement. Northwest Ohio was occupied chiefly by villages and bands of the Odawa people, who had trading relations with the French at Fort Detroit since 1701. Other Odawa were located in southeast Michigan and further north on the peninsula. They ceded much of that territory in the Treaty of Greenville but retained control of lands along the Maumee River until after the War of 1812. The last Odawa band, that of Ottokee, grandson of Chief Pontiac, left the Maumee River area for Kansas in 1839.[5] [6]

Lucas County was established in 1835. At that time, both Ohio and Michigan Territory claimed sovereignty over a 468sqmi region along their border (see Toledo War). When Michigan petitioned Congress for statehood in 1835, it sought to include the disputed territory within its bounds. In response, the Ohio General Assembly formally organized part of the area as Lucas County, naming it after the incumbent governor of Ohio, Robert Lucas.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (43%) is water.[7] It is the fourth-smallest county in Ohio by land area. Much of the county lies within what was at the time of its establishment, a vast network of forests, wetlands, and grasslands known as the Great Black Swamp.

Rivers

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Major highways

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 455,054 people, 182,847 households, and 116,290 families living in the county. The population density was 1337sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 196,259 housing units at an average density of 576/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 77.50% White, 16.98% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.86% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. 4.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 182,847 households, out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.70% were married couples living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.40% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,004, and the median income for a family was $48,190. Males had a median income of $39,415 versus $26,447 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,518. About 10.70% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.70% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 441,815 people, 180,267 households, and 111,016 families living in the county.[8] The population density was . There were 202,630 housing units at an average density of 594.5/mi2.[9] The racial makeup of the county was 74.0% white, 19.0% black or African American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.0% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.1% of the population.[8] In terms of ancestry, 29.8% were German, 13.2% were Irish, 9.7% were Polish, 8.0% were English, and 3.8% were American.[10]

Of the 180,267 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, and 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 37.0 years.[8]

The median income for a household in the county was $42,072 and the median income for a family was $54,855. Males had a median income of $46,806 versus $33,394 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,981. About 14.0% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.[11]

Economy

Top Employers

According to the county's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[12] the top ten employers in the county are:

Employer
  1. of employees
1Promedica Health Services11,517
2University of Toledo8,502
3Fiat Chrysler - Toledo North Plant; Toledo South Plant6,759
4Mercy Health Partners5,880
5Toledo Public Schools3,193
6Lucas County2,821
7City of Toledo2,748
8Kroger2,300
9Walmart1,954
10General Motors - Powertrain1,778

Politics

Like most populous urban counties, Lucas County is a Democratic stronghold. The only Republicans to win a majority or plurality in the county since 1932 have been Thomas E. Dewey in 1944, Dwight D. Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956, and Ronald Reagan in 1980 (plurality) and 1984.[13] Although Ronald Reagan carried the county twice, no other Republican has won the county in the last 50 years.[14] In 1972, for instance, it was one of only two counties in the entire state that supported George McGovern.

In the last five presidential elections, the Democratic candidate's margin of victory has ranged from 16% in 2020, the narrowest margin in the county since 1988, to 30.5% in the case of Barack Obama.[15] The entirety of Lucas County, including Toledo, lies in Ohio's 9th congressional district, and it is represented by Marcy Kaptur, who is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

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Government

See also: Ohio county government.

County officials

OfficeNameParty
CommissionerLisa SobeckiDemocratic
CommissionerPeter L. GerkenDemocratic
CommissionerTina Skeldon WozniakDemocratic
ProsecutorJulia R. BatesDemocratic
SheriffMike NavarreDemocratic
Clerk of CourtsJ. Bernie QuilterDemocratic
RecorderMichael AshfordDemocratic
TreasurerLindsay WebbDemocratic
EngineerMike PniewskiDemocratic
CoronerDiane Scala-BarnettDemocratic
AuditorAnita L. LopezDemocratic
[16]

Communities

Cities

Villages

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ohio County Profiles: Lucas County. April 28, 2007. Ohio Department of Development. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070621234450/http://www.odod.state.oh.us/research/FILES/S0/Lucas.pdf. June 21, 2007.
  2. Web site: State & County QuickFacts. United States Census Bureau. June 29, 2022.
  3. Web site: Find a County . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . May 31, 2011 .
  4. Web site: Lucas County data . April 28, 2007 . Ohio State University Extension Data Center .
  5. [Helen Hornbeck Tanner]
  6. Larry Angelo (2nd chief of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma), The Migration of the Ottawas from 1615 to Present, (1997), pp. 3-6
  7. Web site: 2010 Census Gazetteer Files . https://web.archive.org/web/20140504223453/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_39.txt . dead . May 4, 2014 . United States Census Bureau . February 8, 2015 . August 22, 2012 .
  8. Web site: DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data . December 27, 2015. . https://archive.today/20200213014748/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US39095 . February 13, 2020. dead .
  9. Web site: Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County . December 27, 2015. . https://archive.today/20200213191658/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US39095 . February 13, 2020. dead .
  10. Web site: DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates . December 27, 2015. . https://archive.today/20200213012919/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US39095 . February 13, 2020. dead .
  11. Web site: DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates . December 27, 2015. . https://archive.today/20200213014728/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US39095 . February 13, 2020. dead .
  12. Web site: Lucas County, Ohio Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2019 . June 26, 2021.
  13. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  14. Web site: David Leip's Presidential Atlas (Maps for Ohio by election). uselectionatlas.org. April 1, 2018.
  15. Web site: President Map - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times. elections.nytimes.com. April 1, 2018.
  16. Web site: Lucas County elected officials. lucas.oh.us. April 1, 2018. June 16, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160616201912/http://co.lucas.oh.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/7703. dead.
  17. Web site: TOWNSHIP WEBSITES | Ohio Township Association . https://web.archive.org/web/20160715023447/http://www.ohiotownships.org/township-websites . dead . July 15, 2016 .